5+ children

[Katiemarie96]

For those with 5 or more children how do you arrange bedrooms etc? Have 4 and our 3 daughters currently share because they don’t like being in separate rooms and our little boy who’s 8 weeks shares with us, we have the front room as a bedroom because it’s bigger and cooler, when he is bigger he will be going into the bedroom. I can’t stop thinking that I want another baby, husband agrees and just wanted to see how other people had bedrooms laid out with larger families and how it was going from 4 to 5 little ones. Not looking for any negativity here either because it is our choice. Seen a family of 7 on TikTok that lives in a 2 bedroom house and wanted other peoples opinions as well

How many bedrooms have you got in total?

Keep in mind these kids will grow, take up more space, money and resources.

You can find a large family living in a one bed hut /house in a village in Asia or Africa on tiktok. Doesn't mean that would be practical or reasonable for your own situation.

One also has to factor the unforeseen. What if you conceive twins, what if the next child has special needs.

If you're comfortable with all the possibilities, then go for it. It's not negative to consider worst case scenarios, it's practical.

As one of 6, just don’t. It might be your choice but it certainly isn’t their choice.

Think through what it will be like to have six adult sized people in the house and base your decision on that. It's easy to squeeze in babies and children, less so when they grow.

I grew up in a family of 6.

One tiny bedroom for eldest girl. One bedroom for boy. one bedroom for four younger girls.

I was girl no. 4. I hated it. No privacy, no peace for my entire childhood. I left at the first possible opportunity and never went back.

As an adult, I have one child and plenty of space for us and guests. Small houses make me claustrophobic now. Never again.

I've not got a big family (2 DC,) and I don't know anyone with more than 3 school age children now.

But I used to know quite a lot of big families. 5, 6, 7, DC. Even a couple of 8s.

One family of 6 - (3 boys and 3 girls) in a 3 bed house, used to have 1 bedroom for the 3 girls, 1 for the 3 boys, then the small boxroom for the parents.

One family with 7 DC I knew had a 3 bed 1940s council house with a large lounge, and a small separate dining room. (10 x 9 feet.) The 2 teenage girls (13 and 15) had the small bedroom, the 4 boys aged between 5 and 13 were in the big bedroom, and the parents had the medium sized bedroom. Then the oldest girl (aged 18,) had the small dining room at the back of the house as her bedroom.

I also knew a family with 8 children - 7 girls and 1 boy who had a 4 bed house. The little boy (youngest) had his own little bedroom, (the little 7 X 8 bedroom, and 3 girls had the medium bedroom, and 4 had the second largest, then the parents had the largest one. (Wasn't much between 3 of the bedrooms. They were all fairly decent sizes.)

I’m sorry, but I think you’re crazy. I have a five bed house and I only have 2 DC. And I’m finding that enough. We have just enough space for everyone to be able to be together and separate when necessary. It’s gonna be so much harder as they get bigger and older for everyone to have space when they need it. Please don’t underestimate how important that is.

3 bed house here. 2 in main bedroom. 2 in back bedroom. 1 in box room. Im on the sofa on a pull out bed. I did have the boxroom but the eldest needed their own room so I have given it up.

We have four....and as young children it's fine to share rooms and be in smaller spaces, but do think about what it is like when they are older/teens/at uni.

We are in a 4 bed house that is really too small, but we have managed to ensure that they all have their own space to study/have their own stuff, even if for a bit the two middle boys had to share a room. We haven't upsized because we are very conveniently placed for schools/transport/activities etc but I do feels guilty sometimes, although to get the size of house we would really need where we live would involve adding at least £150k to our mortgage which we don't want to do. The older two are now at uni which makes the house feel much bigger - but it's tough when we are all at home!

Have you considered op what arrangements you’ll make for when they are older?

I’m conscious that more young adults struggle to move out of their family home now due to rent costs etc. So I would factor in how this might work with your existing family first as they get bigger, both in terms of room but also financially.

Is it a 2 bed op?

We have 7 and a 7 bed house. Two are away at uni so we have a spare room for visitors. The study converts into a spare room too so everyone has their own space when they are all at home.

Congratulations on your little boy. 💙

I came from a family of five, and grew up in a one bedroom home. When I was very little, I don't remember minding this. As I got older, I craved space of my own and used to hide in the bathroom cupboard with a book to have alone time. (Still have a scar on my cheek from where the hot water pipes burned it!) My parents had one large room, and had us in bunk beds. As we got older, my eldest siblings left at 15/16 as they wanted their own space, and eventually my parents had the space to build on an extra 2 bedrooms - so my next eldest sister and I stayed home the longest.

You've asked specifically about space and room experiences, so to answer that - big families can work in small spaces if everyone has the opportunity for privacy still. Questions to ask yourself - does everyone have a space to be alone, at least once a day? Are there enough bathrooms for everyone? Eventually you'll have teenagers, showering before school every morning. Does everyone have space for their own bed? Does everyone have space to keep their own clothes and some knick knacks for themselves? Is there enough space at the kitchen table for the whole family to sit together? Can you all sit down to watch a movie together? Is there enough space for your little ones to have friends over for a play date? Non essential but nice! If you have a child with additional needs, or one of your family develops additional needs, do you have enough room to accommodate?

It's really hard to ever feel "done" I think, so I definitely empathise!

I have 10 children with 8 still living at home. We wanted a large family and we had to consider what we would do when the kids became older teens and wanted their own space. We renovated a caravan that our 16yr old son made his own, he built himself a deck and cover and did a fantastic job and he loves his space, he has a double bunk so he can have his mates over, we are currently renovating a second caravan for our 17yr old daughter who already has her own room but she also wants her own caravan. Our 18yr old has her own room, we are currently renovating a 5th bedroom so that our 15yr old has her own room, and my 11 and 10yr old share a room. The 2 toddlers sleep in our room but will be moving to a room to share over the next few months. My 21 and 22yr olds have since left home and rent share houses with friends for cheaper rent. Because my husband and I wanted a large family, we had to consider the kids we already had and made sure they were also comfortable. So we saved every penny we could and bought a cheap country house on a small acreage and we renovated it to fit our growing family. We will soon be building a 6th bedroom to eventually separate my 11 and 10 yr olds once they become older teens and need their own space. Its one thing to be crammed with little ones who want to be close to you and each other but as they get older and bigger its fine to share a room but they need to be able to find their own space. Its great you want a large family but you and your partner have to find ways to accommodate a growing family not just now but for the future.

It’s not just bedrooms but living space. Most uk houses don’t have large living spaces unless you have had a big downstairs extension. Ie an average 3 bed house will only really have space downstairs for a dining table for 4, living room seating for 4 etc.

Do you have a dining table and sofas to
easily seat 7 adults? Enough toilets for 7 teenagers and adults all getting ready to
leave early for work and school?